The present invention relates generally to a ported catheter or a female luer fitting for an infusion therapy device. The ported catheter or the female luer fitting can be configured with an integrated elastomeric septum that incorporates an antimicrobial lube to form a barrier to microbes that may be present on a device that is inserted into the ported catheter or the female luer fitting.
In this specification, a ported catheter should be understood as a catheter that includes a port through which fluids may be infused into the lumen of the catheter and ultimately into the vasculature of a patient. An example of a ported catheter 100 is shown in FIG. 1. Ported catheter 100 includes a port 101 which is typically configured as a female luer connector. Another device (e.g. a male luer connector) may be connected to port 101 to inject or withdraw a fluid within the lumen of the ported catheter 100. FIG. 2 also illustrates an example of a ported catheter 200 that includes a port 201 configured as a needleless female luer connector.
In this specification, a female luer fitting should be understood as any component that can be attached to an infusion therapy device to form a port or ports of the device. FIG. 3 illustrates various examples of female luer fittings on an infusion therapy device 300. These female luer fittings include fittings 301 and 302 formed in a Y-adapter and fitting 303 formed on a flow control device. FIG. 4 illustrates another example of an infusion therapy device 400 that includes a fitting 401 in the form of a port attached to a catheter via an extension tube. Other examples of fittings include stopcocks, adapters, connectors, valves, etc.
In the remainder of the specification, ported catheter and female luer fitting will be referred to generally as a port. Accordingly, the present invention extends to ports having an integrated elastomeric septum for providing an antimicrobial barrier.
In prior art devices such as those shown in FIG. 1-4, the ports are typically configured as female luer connectors. To gain access to these ports, a male luer connector is inserted into the female luer connector. If the male luer connector contains any microbes on its surface, these microbes are likely to pass into the lumen of the female luer connector where they can be infused into the patient's vasculature. Once inside the patient's vasculature, these microbes can cause serious infections. Therefore, it is critical that the interface between ports and connected devices be maintained free of microbes.
Many techniques have been employed for disinfecting the surfaces of ports and connected devices to minimize the occurrence of microbial infections. These techniques include manually wiping the surfaces as well as using caps containing antimicrobial solution to disinfect the ports between uses. Such caps have also been designed to clean the surface of a device prior to connecting the device to the port. Although such techniques reduce the risk of microbes entering the lumen of the port, they are not satisfactory in many cases. For example, even after cleaning a surface of a device, the surface may become contaminated prior to connecting the device. Also, in some cases, the surface may not be cleaned at all or may not be cleaned adequately. In any case, once the device is connected, any microbes present on the device may easily migrate onto surfaces within the port or into fluid contained within the port. Once the microbes are within the port, it can be difficult to kill the microbes as they quickly may spread throughout the lumen of the infusion therapy device.